Jean-Louis Kerouanton

Augmented historical scale model for museums: from curation to multi-modal promotion

In this paper, we describe an interactive museum application dedicated to historical scale models. This comes from a joint work between multidisciplinary teams: industrial engineering researchers, historians, museum curators and interactive interface designer. We present here the result of the project, based on scientific methodology. Results include system architecture, hardware and software, some use cases and user evaluation figures. This paper also underlines some methodologies issues that illustrate future possibilities.

Virtual conservation and interaction with our cultural heritage: Framework for multi-dimension model based interface

Thanks to rapid development of Virtual Reality technologies, the research is not only limited in military training and scientific visualization realm, it has been expanded into more multidisciplinary areas, such as education, archaeology, conservation of culture heritage, etc. Many heritage objects can be found in museum, among them, historical mock-up represents a city with its precious historical value. The objective of this paper is not only to propose a prototype of future interface that uses VR technology in visualizing and interacting with 3D mockups, but also to provide a tool for decision-making aid, which helps to select proper interface depending on the content we desire to display. Our proposals exploit a variety of State of the Art, and raise a concept named multi-dimension model based interface, which can be applied to multiple VR applications, gives more information than a simple history book, explains to user the real cultural value in a virtual environment.

Co-working for Knowledge Management in Cultural Heritage: Towards a PLM for Museum

Dealing with historical knowledge implies specific approaches. Then, modeling it and the different know-hows involved is a complex task. Indeed, patrimonial objects are historical witnesses whose life cycle is hard to handle. In this paper, we discuss possibilities of managing such heterogeneous content through a PLM system dedicated to historical knowledge and museum. Based on previous research in the field of ancient advanced archaeology, we demonstrate our process through an industrial research and development project with a history museum.

A Case Study of Capitalisation and Valorisation of Our Technical Heritage

For the 2008 CIRP Design conference, we have presented a scientific article dealing with a new way of thinking our technical heritage: we would like to preserve it as a digital object. Project deals with a physical mock-up of Nantes city built in 1899 and used for the Universal exposition in France in 1900 in Paris. The heritage object is nowadays in the museum but exposed as a fish inside an aquarium. Thanks to a virtual system coupling a tactile screen with semantic research modules, 3D active screen and light pointer, it will allow the visitor to better understand the mock-up and emphasize important places of Nantes city life. However it does not mean beautiful 3D animation with nice static rendering; indeed, we create virtual mock-ups which are dynamically operating. We use CAD software and engineering simulation tools. Nowadays the global methodology has been improved: it is named Advanced Industrial Archaeology. In this communication, we will detail a new experimentation done in partnership with a French museum: the Château des Ducs de Bretagne in France. This project deals with a physical mock-up of Nantes city built in 1899 and exposed in 1900 for the World Fair that took place in Paris, France. The heritage object is nowadays in the museum but exposed as “a fish inside an aquarium”. Thanks to a virtual system coupling a tactile screen with semantic research modules, a 3D active screen and a light pointer, it will allow the visitor to better understand the mock-up and emphasize important places of the city. The mock-up represents our industrial heritage with old shipyards of Nantes.